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Baseball
Baseball is a team sport that originated on Earth in the 19th century and gained world-wide popularity during the 20th Century. During this time professional leagues organized around the sport on several continents. The game continued to be played in the 21st century but it's popularity began to decline until 2042, when the final World Series was played and the professional stage of the game came to a close. (DS9: "If Wishes Were Horses"). Even so, the lexicon of the game endured and even in the 24th century the names and achievements of many of its greatest players were still known. Benjamin Sisko is a noteable baseball fan, just like Kasidy Yates, as well as her brother on Cestus III, one of the few locations where the sport is still practiced in the 24th century. Then Commander Sisko used the game of baseball to help the Prophets to understand linear time when he first encountered them. He explained that the reason the game was worthwhile was that corporeal beings like Humans didn't know what the outcome would be. "Every time you throw this ball a hundred different things can happen in the game." (DS9: "Emissary") Sisko also kept a baseball on his desk in his office aboard Deep Space 9 and encouraged an interest in the game among his senior staff, including accepting a challenge to a game by the crew of the USS T'Kumbra in 2375. General Rules of Play A baseball game consists of a two opposing teams which take turns "batting" (offense) and "fielding" (defense) in order to score "runs" by advancing around a series of "bases" (stopping points) which are arrayed in a diamond pattern approximately 90 feet apart. During the batting portion of play the nine members of the team take turns attempting to strike the eponymous baseball which is hurled toward them by the fielding team's pitcher. Any attempt by the batting team during which the batter makes three missed attempts at striking the ball, or which the ball is put into the field of play but the batter fails to reach base before the fielded ball does, or in which a defensive player catches the struck ball before it touches the ground, is considered an "out". The batting team's turn at offense ends when the defensive team has recorded three such outs. During the fielding portion of play the team on defense positions nine players on the field at designated positions. The "infield", or interior defense, is stationed at positions near the four bases. The players in the infield consist of a 1st baseman, 2nd baseman, a 3rd baseman, a shortstop (who is positioned between the 2nd and 3rd basemen), a pitcher, and a catcher (who is behind "home plate" - the final base, and who receives the ball being hurled by the pitcher). The "outfield" consists of the remaining three players in right field, center field, and left field. Runs are tallied whenever a player makes a complete circuit of the four bases, starting from home plate where the player bats the ball, and continuing in order from 1st through 3rd base and finishing again at home plate. A player may advance to a base when the ball is struck or when a batter in position behind him advances and forces the first player onto the next base. A single base may be occupied by only one player at a time. The object of the defensive team is to prevent this advance by fielding the ball, or by preventing the ball from being struck. The pitcher has this responsibility and must hurl the ball past the batter over the area of home plate. The batter receives only 3 chances to swing at the ball, but the pitcher receives only 4 chances to put a ball within the area defined as the "strike zone" where a non-swing by the batter is the same as a missed swing. Three "strikes" (missed swings or non-swings at pitches within this zone) constitute an out, four "balls" (non-swings at pitches outside of this zone) result in an automatic advance to first base four the batter. The game is divided into 9 innings, with each team allowed one turn at bat (3 outs) in each inning. Traditionally, the team that is designated as the "home" team allows the "visiting" team to bat first in the first inning, and consequently the home team is allowed to bat last in the 9th inning. At the end of the 9th inning, the team having tallied the most runs is declared the winner. If the score is tied after the 9th inning, additional complete innings are played one at a time until such time as the score is no longer tied at the end of the inning. In all cases of fielding, batting, and pitching, an "Umpire" (a neutral official) ejudicates the result of the action and determines whether a hurled pitch is a strike or ball, and whether an advancing runner was "safe" (reached base before the fielded ball) or out according to the play of the defense. (DS9: "Take Me Out to the Holosuite") Notable Players * Buck Bokai * Ralph Branca * Al Dark * Dix * Ellis * Bob Gibson * Joe DiMaggio * Willie Hawkins * Whitey Lockman * Roger Maris * Willie Mays * Eddie Newson * Duke Snyder * Thompson * Hank Thompson * Wilcox * Ted Williams Teams Historical * Atlanta Braves * Boston Red Sox * London Kings * New York Giants * New York Yankees 24th century * Niners * Logicians * Cestus Comets * Pike City Pioneers See also * baseball (object) * Baseball card de:Baseball